James R. Corcoran Jr., teaches percussion, including the UC Marching Patriot Drumline; music theory, music technology, and music appreciation at UC.
Mr. Corcoran serves as Instrumental Music faculty, in percussion, for the Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts and performs with the Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts Instrumental Music Faculty Ensemble, where he appears on the CD “Conversations,” which includes four works commissioned by the ensemble.
He is a performing free-lance musician in the central Kentucky region whose playing experiences include performances with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Southern Stars Symphonic Brass Band, the Lexington Bach Ensemble, Caribbean Blues, Leon Bates, Dave Samuels, Bob Becker, David Mancini, GSA Jazz Quartet, and he frequently performs music in many styles including rock-n-roll, classical, salsa, Jazz, Latin, Caribbean and musical theatre productions and is an FMM of the award winning Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. Corcoran is in demand throughout Kentucky and the surrounding states as a percussion instructor, arranger, clinician, adjudicator and guest percussion ensemble conductor. He has served as a percussion adjudicator for the SCGC, KMEA marching and concert events, ETSU Contest, and band clinician for the Greenville High School Band Festival in Greenville, TN. Mr. Corcoran has experience instructing percussion with the Blue Grass Brass Drum and Bugle Corps, the Toyota Bicentennial Orchestra, and the Arts Day Camp Nathanial Mission Summer Youth Program. He is active with the Percussive Arts Society and is a University Instructor Artist/Clinician for Innovative Percussion, Inc. Nashville, TN.
Check out the published version of Jim's snare drum solos "7 Days & 7 Nights" included in The Blue Book: A Test Guide for the Modern Percussionist and “Secret Passage” included in The Blue Book, Volume 2 at Tapspace.com. Both Volumes are also available in the UC Bookstore.